The Abe Forum

Wishing you a wonderful trip! Enjoy! Enjoy!

...I AM on my bold, highlighted path, and I decide to enjoy it!

"Allow what is, and watch what happens."(Abe)
...I enjoy my Journey!


Day 9

spiritualcookie wrote: ↑Thu Aug 29, 2024 9:27 pm Wishing you a wonderful trip! Enjoy! Enjoy!

This line was the last thing I saw before I went offline, and as a good charm, aka a GRID!!! ...it went with me: "enjoy. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!" ...and I did. I decided to ENJOY and I don't have words for all the wonderful moments of joy!!

it is supposed to be 33°C in Vienna the whole next week. AND, I believe it will all work out in the very best ways! I decided to trust. I decided to ENJOY the path, no matter what!

Indeed, I was a bit scared of the weather-forecast, as we all are literally white-skinned (besides my husband, we are the most pale people I know...) and don't take heat well at all. We HAD 33-35° C EVERY day, from 10 AM- until 10PM, so unusual... and so awesome! And everyone ran with it, and could take it in really good ways- and in the end we all said, "THIS WAS TRUE SUMMER!"

...I would be overwhelmed to speak about the journey in only one occasion, it would be MUCH too much. So, I want to appreciate every day one of the days...

The first day was about the joy of driving there, in 5+ hours, in 2 cars. This tingling expectation, the eagerness, the curiosity! We had a lunch-break in Passau/Germany, which is called the city of 3 rivers. I so enjoyed to FINALLY not only hurry by the city on the Autobahn, but GO THERE and ...ENJOY it!


Enjoying a walk (or getting pushed in the chair ) through the beautyful, charming old town of Passau, and having a lunch with Passaus special dishes, as sour liver, fishes of the Danube, Kaiserschmarrn (pancakes ripped apart served with plum-conserve), Sauerbraten (cured beef-roast) and sausage-salad. I ENJOYED not to cook myself, and to be served, and to simply plump down and feel like royalty!

We sat outside in the shade on an elevated terrace, overlooking the Danube and it's river-cruise-ships and enjoyed our first mutual meal of this trip! Eating out is a rare treat for my daughters family (it's expensive). The kids loved to pick their favourite dishes, and we enjoyed so much to spoil them a bit! All where stunned how long the Danube-ships are, that often come from the Rhine, through the Rhine- Main-Danube channel that was finished when I was a young child. I so enjoyed the memory and the vision about and from my Opi, who was with me so often at the construction side of the channel... he dreamed of stepping on a cruise ship in Nürnberg (our home-city) and sailing down the channel into the Danube and then (through Passau) into Austria with it's capital Vienna, Slovakia with it's capital Bratislava, Hungary with it's capital Budapest, through Kroatia, Serbia with it's capital Belgrade, then between Bulgaria and Rumania- visiting it's capital Bukarest, and finally sailing into the Black Sea!

He dreamt of the borders than being open (and now, they are). He dreamt a vision that had burnt itself into my heart, and I know: One day, I will do this trip, preferably with my family, my grandfather lovingly with me, in my heart! I SO ENJOYED pondering it, when I stood at the "Dreiflüsse-Eck", my feet in one moment in the green, friendly-light waters of the wide Inn, and in the next moment, the waves brought in the grey-blue waters of the deep Danube, while I looked out ahead for the black waters of the small river Ilz, that makes the trio complete.







...I had wanted to do this all this years. I was so curious to see the city, and take my time, and not be in a hurry, and finally... see the 3 rivers with it's 3 colors, with my own eyes... FEEL how the waters refuse to merge at first, but then they mingle and they flow happily on together, being called Danube from there on. I so enjoyed feeling the refreshing water, that is glistening and glittering from all the glimmer-particles that it has washed out of the natural rock. It felt a bit as a fairytale! It felt as a promise into the future. It felt so thankful and so happy!

After 3 hours more drive (including the exciting moment of crossing the border, which is SUCH a joy after the negative parts fell away -open borders in Europe-, we first looked at Vienna... such joyful expectation, and thankful arrival!

Vienna, waiting...



When we arrived at our rented summer cottage, the kids screamed in joy (a childrens playhouse, toys and a trampoline in a nice little garden) and we loved the huge perfectly equipped kitchen, the 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, the huge living/dining area and the also huge dining table outside... (houses, rented for 9 people, often just feature 6 chairs, small kitchens and -tables. Not this one. Enough glasses, plates and cutlery for all, and a HUGE fridge!) Sooo convenient! We sooo enjoyed spreading out, and still having privacy! We enjoyed that this house, obviously, was the private home of a family, who had gone on vacation in this time, as well. It was so sweet to see the paintings of children on the walls, and the personal touches all over the place.

We so enjoyed the fig tree in the front-yard, with juicy awesome free-land, naturally ripened sweet figs! We so enjoyed eating fruit and just a small dinner with slices of bread, cheese, and cold cuts that we had brought from home in our awesome car-fridge! We so enjoyed RESTING after the long drive. We so enjoyed the beginning of our ADVENTURE.

SO SATISFIED!!! And so eager for more!

5+ hours driving is quite a journey! Do you have any tricks to make the journey more fun, like games, music or listening to an audiobook together? : )

I'm looking forward to tuning in to hear how the adventure continued!

spiritualcookie wrote: ↑Thu Sep 05, 2024 3:01 pm 5+ hours driving is quite a journey! Do you have any tricks to make the journey more fun, like games, music or listening to an audiobook together? : )

Actually, no... my Granny used to entertain me in the car when I was young, but it seems that I have very meditative grandchildren. So, this would feel like too much "fuss", really....! The larger kids read. And we grownups LOVE to look outside or have conversations

I'm looking forward to tuning in to hear how the adventure continued!

I SO look forwards to milk more!

...I AM on my bold, highlighted path, and I decide to enjoy it!

"Allow what is, and watch what happens."(Abe)
...I enjoy my Journey!


Day 10

(first course of what we got served in the dark...)

I think that I was so lucky (haha...) to get seats for 5 people at Viennas "Dinner in the Dark"- Restaurant "Vier Sinne" (="four senses"). I booked a month ahead and got the last seats at the last open slot! In our case, it was "Brunch in the Dark", at 10 o'clock- lasting 3 hrs.
Getting this last tickets felt magic. A bit as a wink from sources eyes. It felt certain and loved and cared for!

I knew that my daughter wanted to experience such since years. My youngest grandchild was certainly too young, the 6 year old asked to be left out, and the 10 year old was THRILLED to experience it! And my husband wasn't eager, so he stayed home and was baby-sitting, and he- even after hearing our thrilled reports, states he is happy to not have gone. I like the variety! I like understanding, we all are so different!

It is an experience where people are seated and served several courses of food in ABSOLUTE darkness. Light-sources as cellphones or watches with glowing hands per example, must be left in a closet before the beginning. The servers where, in our case, blind, and we doubled and tripled our appreciation for them in this occasion! They feel like heros of life to me. I am deeply thankful to have met them, and experienced their amazing skill- that makes me appreciate them- and the fatc, that I am blessed with sight!

I don't want to spoiler the experience by posting pictures of the plates we got served, that they showed us AFTERWARDS, but it felt right to show at least 1 of the 3 courses to give you a clue... we had a basket with bun and a croissant, cutlery, a glass with orange juice, an empty glass and a mutual water bottle already on our table when we arrived, and then we got served hot beverages as tea, coffee or hot chocolate. And then, we got the shown plate with cold cuts, a small glass of jam, butter, hummus, veggies and cheese (there where vegan and vegetarian options as well). And then we were supposed to eat!

It was SUCH FUN!! Nobody was looking, so we could not really embarrass ourselves by how we got the things into our mouths... not even to talk about finding out what it WAS. Have you ever tried to spread butter on your bun with a knife without SEEING what you are doing? ...We all ended up by eating solely with our hands, spreading butter with the fingers eating the hummus with bare hands as well... and our comments where so funny! "How am I supposed to fill my glass with the water?" -"You'll see!" -"No, I WON'T!!" "Urks, I found my lost butter again!" "Yikes, I grabbed into your Cappuccino... Sorry!!" -It was so lighthearted and free!

The 14 year old one felt scared of what was in "this creamy stuff" (a tomato). My SIL dropped his knife 4 times on the floor, and we all crawled around, trying to help him find it... and at the other tables, they obviously had fun as well! We got a box with pen and paper and where asked to write a letter or paint a small picture (still in absolute darkness). The results where sweet and funny to look at, later! We also got a savory, hot 2. course- and a delicious dessert, hot and cold (no more spoilers!). It all felt so special. It felt as bliss, to able to experience it. It felt DEEP.

It was fascinating to "see" how the sense of time distorts (we had no idea 3 hrs where gone, afterwards) and how hard it is to coordinate left and right hand, when you can't see. And, the other senses as taste and smell, are really enhanced in absolute darkness! In the end, there was a little questionaire... how big we think the room will be, how old we think the waiters would be, and which nationality they might have... we found out that I -with 60- was the oldest person in the room, and my grandson besides me- the 10 year old one, was the youngest. That was cute, too! I appreciate to be reminded, that I have lived SO MUCH. It makes me more deliberate.

I SO enjoyed it, all! I so enjoyed the adventure. I so enjoyed witnessing how people open up and relax when nobody sees their mistakes, and how it relaxes them all that we all are in the same boat!

We had some time to rest before the next appointment... meeting up with my beloved brother in our summer cottage!


finally we meet again!

We are half-siblings, and as I never lived with my mother, I never lived with him, either. But we always loved each other, we have such a strong, special bond that doesn't need many words, but when we'r together, we don't stop talking!! I am certain that he is "an old soul" as well, and he seems to be driven by the exact same forces than me: We both are "born spiritual teachers" who love to laugh (both Enneagram 7-types). Only that I went "into the world of art, family and marriage" and he became a priest. "We" feel so special, to me! I am so very very very thankful for "having" him. What a gift of life.

He was thrilled by my plan to share visiting the Stephansdom (one of 3 of Viennas most famous landmarks which are the "Steffel" aka the Stephans-dome, the Fiaker-carriages and the huge Ferriswheel). I had booked a special tour where they could explore the cathedral from it's catacombs (including the empresses coffins and the bones of thousands of victims of the black plague...) up to it's roof. After DH and I had visited the roof of the Dome of Milan, I was thrilled by the opportunity to do the same in Vienna! It is such enhanced opportunity to experience a city! It wasn't available, some years ago- and I SO appreciate that things "open up", literally! I am eager to have more ofthis!









...Due to my disability, I couldn't share my family and brother, climbing hundreds of steps, exploring the 60 m high roof-construction... a room that has it's own weather and can hold over 200 people... but I was SO happy to see the pictures and hear their fascinated comments! When the guide didn't arrive in the right time, people thought that my brother (dressed in his catholic habit) might be the guide and started to ask him questions! But he denied answers he had no clue about (he told us that it happens quite often that people ask him for advice in the strangest places). We witnessed ourselves, that a random American tourist walked straight towards him and started asking him detailed questions about the religion in Austria... Actually, I appreciate the opnness of people, to ask what they want to know! I think it's amazing that they do!

I had used the time to prepare dinner for all of them, baking 2 huge chickens, a ton of oven-roasted potato wedges and a big salad- with a store-bought Austrian cream-cheese Torte, afterwards. (Hey, I have vacation, too!) But before we could eat, the 3 men helped together to enlarge the dining table which was so nice, and close, and soooo funny again.

I soooo enjoy my whole family!!
I so enjoyed cooking for all of them!
I so enjoyed our happy jolly banter!
I so enjoyed to have provided all this ideas-
and that DH and I own the means to invite them all! It was true Abundance, in all it's facets!
I am so thankful for our TIME.
I am so very very very thankful for the time of each of my beloveds, that they share with me!
I am so SATISFIED to have received the inspirations, and to have pulled it all together, and to have seen it unfold and become, and to feel it fulfilled.
And I am SO eager for more!!!

I loved reading about your Dinner in the Dark experience! It sounds like a very special, good-humour-fillled, unique experience

Thank you for sharing & milking your adventures with us!

spiritualcookie wrote: ↑Fri Sep 06, 2024 10:26 am I loved reading about your Dinner in the Dark experience! It sounds like a very special, good-humour-fillled, unique experience

Thank you for sharing & milking your adventures with us!

Thank you for the appreciation! I so love to deliberately remember, and feel it again, and milk it and make it bigger for me, as well!

...I AM on my bold, highlighted path, and I decide to enjoy it!

"Allow what is, and watch what happens."(Abe)
...I enjoy my Journey!


Day 11

Mass held by my brother

My brother is not only leading a catholic convent in Vienna, he also holds masses and loves to work especially with young grownups and families. So he invited us to share a family mass, and my daughter and SIL where stunned how well behaved their kids where. We loved the lively athmosphere, the happy life-music, and the obvious passion my brother had in speaking about the "laws of happiness, the laws of God,that we need to know if we want our lives to work as we want them to work!"

...When you want to drive a car, you must need to know the "Law of driving a car". You MUST know how the car works. It will not work to beg the car, or to lure it with carrots-you must insert the key and turn it, you must use the gas and the brake and the gears in the right way. And it is the very same with life! -I LOVED this analogy!
After his sermon, he greeted me, being happy to welcome "his sister, that is under way on a different road, doing the same..."


I soo enjoyed "our theme": How life really works, when you want to be happy. It felt wonderful to know my brother be on the same pace, with so much fascination and expectise! I AM SO SATISFIED being with him "on my side"! I feel so wonderful close with him! I SO LOVE realizing this!!!


Getting THE original "Wiener Schnitzel" (or Palatschinken for the kids!) in a traditional Viennese Setting, a "Beisl"

We then had a wonderful lunch in a beautiful "Beisl", all in the old, rustic style, half timberwood, and soooo nice and cool inside (outside it was 35°C again).

I felt so satisfied in spoiling my family, once more! I so love seeing the eyes glow in joy and anticipation, when they study the menue! I so love seeing them interact with the servers, becoming more confident every time, expecting goodness, enjoying the opportunities and choices, and then: Enjoying the FOOD!!


"The construction-side"

The convent got too big in the last years, and so, they bought two very old houses side by side, to house their community, have a chapel that holds 300 worshippers, a meet-up-coffee-shop with outside-terracce, and so many more needs as rooms for meeting up, counseling, guestrooms, bureaus, and of course a place for the brothers to live and eat... It is a huge undertaking, and all money comes from private sponsors ("the church" does not pay one dime in this cases!). My brother worked the last 2 years in making this "completely impossible" dream true, and they are almost there. Next summer will be the opening! He was so proud and happy to show us around in the 4-story classic building that has so many beautiful features.

I am so incredibly proud of him! And again, he desires the same as I do, just a bit different: He wants a nest for his community and -church, I for my family, our friends and our endeavors... and we attempt the "impossible". I so like it!! I feel so happy and thankful in all of this!


dandering through the beautiful Stadtpark (here at the memorial of Johannes Strauss junior, the "King of Waltz"; and along an empty flood-channel...


...we make our way to buy dessert at "Café Vollpension"

Café Vollpension is an awesome concept where "Grannies" bake their private, unique old recipes of famous Viennese cakes, and they not only do that but they also serve and share their stories. It was opened as a "Project agains old-age poverty, and old-age loneliness" and we loved getting our cake- the dessert for the BBQ we had later, together, there! My brother was stunned and loves the concept. He said, I would let him see his city with new eyes! I am thrilled of seeing such inspirations pop up and flourish! I love witnessing the Goodness and the solutions and the joyful facing of new good ideas! This is so satisfying!

I SO LOVE MY FAMILY.
I so love how easy and lighthearted we merged. I loved the ease. I loved the love. I loved the wonderful food, and all the Newness. I am so thankful that I lived this day, and I am eager for MORE!

...I AM on my bold, highlighted path, and I decide to enjoy it!

"Allow what is, and watch what happens."(Abe)
...I enjoy my Journey!

Day 12





guided tour through the stables of the Fiaker-horses, with a Fiaker (=coach)-ride into the old town of Vienna

I so, so so very much enjoyed a tour that I found, that I myself would have loved so very much as a child!
I was THRILLED to see how much has changed since I was a child! It makes my heart sing to see, how much space the horses have,now! How good they are treated. That the people who work with them REALLY care. That they have a limited amount of work-time, and regulated times out on the meadows, and free time, and a certain pension (they will not get killed or given away when they are too old to work)...
My heart sings when I SEE how stable, peaceful and full of trust this horses are! I see their relaxed faces and the coachmen, who always are at their heads when people want to stroke the horses...they care that no mistreatment will happen to the horses. IT IS SO DIFFERENT to what was, when I was a child. Things got sooo much better!

It is such joy for me to be with my gentle giants!
It is such satisfaction to see that people not only have romantic ideas (which can be such abuse, as animals are NO "children" of humans- but they are different species with often very different needs).
There are many people out there who truly care for the true needs of the animal, and who truly know, and who truly live the good ways! This was wonderfully satisfying, to know that my daughter got that a decade ago, and now see my SIL and my grandkids get it, as well.
And I am EAGER for more horses, in my life!!


Refreshments that the city provides all over the place...

It was such an awesome treat to find sprayers all over the old city, and to enjoy the mist!
It was such a wonderfully good thing to bathe the hot feet and -hands in the cold water, under a free pump!
It was so satisfying to see this offers, and to know how much relief they bring! (At this day again, we had 35°C!) It was such fun to see the kids hurry to get out of their shoes and to splash in the water, and to have my own feet there, as well!




delicious visit at Caféhaus "Kaiserlich-Königlicher Hofzuckerbäcker Gerstner"

I just LOVE the Austrian language!!! I know I know, it is 99% German, but they have several very unique, own words, and one of them is a "Zuckerbäcker", a baker who produces sweet delights as candied flowers, bonbons, gelees, cookies, chocolates, cakes and of course the very fancy patisserie, which translates in Germany and Austria mostly into the term "Torte"- in hundreds of different, yummie recipes! K&K Hofzuckerbäcker are (and have been) rare, -I know in Vienna only Gerstner, Heiner and Demel- they hold the tradition of having been the providers for the Emperors (=Kaiser) and Kings (=Könige) in Vienna. And they offer their goods, today, in palace-like houses with piano music and gilded furniture!

Last time we visited Demel, this time I prayed to have time for Gerstner, and it turned out SO well, again! We only waited 3 minutes to get seated at 2 tables á 4 people, side by side... and then, enjoyed viennese coffee (always served with water!) and delicious Canapees (="Brötchen") and,of course, Torte!

I so loved to bring my family into a "different world" that they either had never entered before, or not had more than 1 time. I so enjoyed seeing how their fear of the very fancy slipped away and they relaxed and enjoyed it, wholly! I so enjoyed to see, how they embraced the world of rich and beautiful!

Ohhh, maybe, this was my most beloved moments in our days! I so love expansion!! I SO LOVE FOOD. And I even more love Patisserie! I was so SATISFIED to spoil my family with taking them here, AND not only have the sweets, but the delectable savory bites,too!
I was SO satisfied to see them interact with the SO nice server- and also see my brother in sheer disbelief of HOW nice the server has been! Because Viennese servers are famous for NOT being so nice. They ARE famous for their "raunzen", a special way of not being so nice... and, we never came across it in all our days. My brother insisted on us being blessed, that ALL people who crossed our path, behaved like angels! oof course they did, LoA wouldn't allow it otherwise!




the Burggarten at the Kaiserliche Hofburg with butterfly-house

I so enjoyed that my brother knew the fastest, most scenic AND most "shady"... IN THE SHADE... path towards the big castle, aka the Wiener Hofburg (where Sisi and Franz lived, as well)- and with that the Buggarten with it's amazingly beautiful victorian glasshouse that houses a butterfly-collection.
I so loved to see the eyes of my family glisten, once more! Again, they never before had experienced such a thing! It was so sweet to see their fascination! It was like a special high feast to not only watch the stunningly beautiful butterflies, but also the stunningly joyful faces of my family! SO SATISFYING! SO EAGER FOR MORE OF THIS!!

When the sun had set, and the temperatures cooled down- half of my family was ready to visit the Prater, the all-year-around amusement park in Vienna. SIL wanted to drive once more with the huge classic, famous ferriswheel, and the boys where eager for driving bumpercarts, waterslide and hounted house and they did ALL of it and had sooo much joy! I shared them as their driver and felt so thankful for being with my family!
SO THANKFUL. SO SATISFIED!! AND SO EAGER FOR MORE MORE MORE!!!




Prater and Würstelprater

...I AM on my bold, highlighted path, and I decide to enjoy it!

"Allow what is, and watch what happens."(Abe)
...I enjoy my Journey!


Day 13


last day... shopping, and having lunch, sharing what we shopped

I loved how peaceful we created our last day in Vienna to be! We took our time. We went in 2 parties... the young family, and us both as an old couple. It felt a bit as getting used to what will come, again. We did it our way.It was good. I was so satisfied with what is, and what will be! I sooo enjoyed shopping delicious things, as the "Mini Mousses" and awesome Dunkin Donuts that we don't get in our rural area. We shopped more delicious sausages and cheese and fruit, and made a soup from all the left overs of the last days... and it felt as a feast. I am so thankful for having lived it ALL. So satisfied, feeling so rich and abundant and blessed. THANK YOU LIFE.




Afternoon: taking time to play and swim in the old Danube, at the water-playground on the Danube-Isle

DH and my daughter went in the afternoon to an unshippable side-arm of the Danube, where there are many places where people can go swimming for free. It is a happy place, free, open, and wild... and they also built a beautiful water-feature with a raft, and places where the kids could simply splash in the water and dig in the mud. SIL and me stayed home this time and just rested... it brought so much peace! It all felt like coming full circle, as becoming COMPLETE. My brother attended us one last time to a huge roast with the Austrian speciality Serviettenknödel that I had prepared, and we laughed so much and took more silly pictures and ...it was SO SO SO NICE. Again, I feel so blessed! I feel blessed by the love of all of us.I feel blessed by nature. I feel blessed by those who built the city and who grew and made the food, and who built the streets that connect us with such ease! The next day we drove home, crossed the Inn- the river that defines the border between Austria and Germany once more, and then, it was over...

I am so thankful. SO full of appreciation:Thank you, thank you life! I am eager for much much much more of life like that- and more!